If you are new here, let me give you a quick recap. My 16 year old little brother, Christian, was in an ATV accident on Sept 1, 2013. He suffered a T.B.I and was in a coma for months, had 2 bone flaps removed from his head due to swelling of the brain, almost died several times within those months and for almost 6 months has showed zero signs of communication. Doctors have not given us much hope at all.

But we knew different.

We have never doubted that he will make a full recovery. We know God is the one in charge here. Christian is still alive for a reason. We have stuck by his side 24/7 since the accident. Dad has slept in his room every single night and my parents have not been home since Sept 1. We have stayed positive and done nothing but encourage Christian and tell him he WILL get better and he'll be home soon and back to normal.

Well guess what, in just the last 2 weeks he is finally waking up! He has gone from doing nothing at all to blowing us away. He's talking to us in a whisper, smiling, saying words, kissing, hugging, thumbs up, waving, telling us he's thirsty, saying he needs to go to the bathroom, all kinds of stuff. Out of nowhere, he's coming back to us.

To walk into that room and see him smile and mouth "hi" to us, I can't even describe it. I've missed him so much.

He still has a long way to go, but holy cow is he making progress, and quickly! He is staying at the current rehab facility for another 3 weeks and they say they are going to work him very hard. They say he will be eating after the 3 weeks is up. Praise God! Poor guy, I can only imagine how much he misses food and drinks!

Our family has tried to stay as strong and positive for him as possible, despite other issues we've faced, and there have been many. In the beginning somebody created a Facebook page for us to update his status, I started updating almost daily and people started following his story. We now have almost 6,000 people following his story and constantly praying and encouraging us. I can't even believe it, but man are we thankful. I don't know how we would make it through without the constant love and support from all of these people praying for our boy and our family, and most of them are strangers, but not anymore! We are constantly blown away by all the love. God has sent us so many people to encourage us, people with stories so similar to ours, where no hope was given but today all is well! I don't know God's plan in all of this, but he has one and we trust in him.

Christian has touched so many lives, and we know that will only continue for the rest of his life. We believe Christian will be completely restored and sharing his testimony one day.

I wanted to share this comment from the other day on the page, it just really touched me. (He told me I could share)

We've been through so much, things like this warm my heart. We don't think twice about what we do or say, it's just what we do. I have so many people who have told us how Christian and our family have changed their lives in so many ways, even people who didn't believe in Jesus and now they do!

Thank you Steve and EVERY SINGLE PERSON who loves and prays for Christian and our family. We may not be able to comment or reply to everything, but we see it. Every comment, message, card and letter. We love you all.

I'll say it again. God has a plan. A plan to use Christian and to use his story and testimony to change lives. This is just the beginning, the beginning of a very long story. Christian's story.

Christian celebrated his 17th birthday this weekend. We were beyond thrilled to actually be able to have a celebration with him. He knew what was going on! It was amazing!

I'm leaving you with these 2 videos that my step brother put together this last week. A glimpse into what's been happening all within the last couple weeks, and his birthday party.

If you would like to continue to follow our story, you can like the Facebook page. We have posted several videos lately there as well.

I buy both of these at Sally's Beauty and I LOVE them. The top coat was a game changer for me. Seriously, I can't imagine not having it now! I apply my polish, and pretty much immediately apply this and within a couple minutes they are DRY- No. More. Waiting.

I decided to spotlight all of my favorite Essie polishes, I own more Essie than any other brand. I feel like these top 5 of mine will get you through each season of the year.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Good morning! I want to start off by saying happy 17th birthday to my goofy, sweet, loving and STRONG little brother. Christian, you are my hero. He's coming back to us and we are blown away by everything he is doing right now. Before we know it, he'll be back to our goofy boy!

I will be sharing a post later this week on the latest and all his wonderful progress this last week and a half, so come back for that! Onto a haul-This last Saturday I headed to the mall for the Lush grand opening party they were hosting. The party was so much fun- A DJ, cupcakes, champagne, sweet ladies and great Lush products and freebies… win.

My friend Angela joined me and we went a little early to hit up a few places before the party. She'd never been to Lush before, I think she's officially hooked! First stop, Sephora-

Angela and I were both wanting to test out the Benefit Gimme Brow, so neither of us did our brows before we left. We both tried it out and instantly fell in love. I fill in my brows with either a pencil or powder then top with the Anastasia brow gel. I will continue to use those products, but I think this stuff is perfect for quick brow fix when I'm in a hurry, like every weekday morning! It's a natural looking finish and fills them in perfectly. They didn't look harsh or cakey at all. They have 2 shades, the medium/deep was perfect for me and the light/medium was perfect for her. (She has red hair and blond brows) I seriously love Benefit products, can't go wrong! Next up, Victoria's Secret-

One scent/body spray I will always repurchase, Sheer Love. It's so fresh and feminine. After 1 smell, Angela had to buy it too! The sweet girl at the checkout threw in a couple perfume samples for me as well. Now onto Lush-

The first hundred through the door got a free gift, it was a Blackberry Bath Bomb. I had planned on buying another bath bomb anyway, so now I didn't have to! I specifically wanted a good all over lotion, after smelling several I went with the Karma Kream. My skin has been so dry lately, I wanted a good lotion to slather on at night. I also picked up a bottle of the Grease Lightning spot treatment. I've been using a sample of it I got from the day I toured their new store recently. I feel like it really does help. I don't know what's been going on with me but I've been fighting breakouts around my chin and jaw line. I really think it's from stress, but it seriously needs to leave already! I picked up a tin for my shampoo bar they gave me last time and also a tin of their Shine So Bright Balm for split ends. They were out of the Grease Lightning and Shine So Bright last time I was there, so I planned on getting them this time. If you spent $50 you got to spin the prize wheel, I spent just over $50 so I got a spin. I won a Sugar Scrub, which I've never used before so I was happy to get to try it out. Confession time. The girl scouts were there... We tried to get away with not buying any, we didn't have any cash so we thought we were safe. Before we knew it, we muttered the words "Do you take checks…" Then bam, we were buying 4 boxes. I'm just joking, I mean true story, but who are we kidding? We would have traded all of our mall loot for just one box!

We each bought 2. I know, NO THIN MINTS?! I like Thin Mints, but the Lemon ones are what I live for each year.It was a great morning spent at the mall with my bestie and I'm sure enjoying all my new stuff! Linking up with The Birdie Bowl and Sassy Wife / Classy Life today for some Tuesday Tea, make sure and check them out!

Monday, February 24, 2014

Hey loves, happy Monday. Hope you all had a great weekend, mine was wonderful! My little brother gave me hugs & kisses and told me he loved me. I can't get over his progress the last 2 weeks, it's truly amazing! You can follow the Facebook page or my Instagram for videos, they are so amazing to watch!

Last week I received my February Ipsy bag. This months theme was The Look of Love. Below is what I received-

-J.Cat Beauty Lashes & Glue- I'm trying to get more comfortable with & use lashes more often, so this made me happy.-Zoya Polish in Odette- (Full size) I absolutely love this color, and I put it on Friday before we left for Florida and when we came home Tuesday it had barely started to chip. This is unheard for me and nail polishes, I think I'm a new fan of Zoya!-Tini Beauty Eyetini Shadow Tint & Base in Spiced Rum- (Full size) I have seen some others received a color called Ambrosia that looks gorgeous, I'm going to check and see if anyone has it on eDivv.com and possibly trade for it. I don't really see myself using this specific color. -Pop Beauty Plump Pout in Peony Petal- (Full size) This is a gorgeous pink rose color and I can't wait to try it out!-Uberliss RituOil- (Deluxe sample) An orchid & Argan oil complex for your hair, I may see about trading this too, I have so many hair oil samples! *Bonus item* Beauty Blender and sample cleanser. I love my beauty blender and wanted another one so I was so happy to have enough points to cash in for one. For anyone new here, Ipsy is a $10 a month beauty subscription service. I've done it for over a year now and I LOVE it! Getting that package each month in the mail is so fun. The $10 price tag is awesome, you can't beat it. You get points when you review the items each month or when people use your referral link. They offer great bonus items! If you're interested, check them out here. Sometimes there is a wait list but it usually moves quick. If you receive Ipsy, Birchbox or any other beauty subscriptions, make sure to check out eDivv.com. They are brand new and a great way to trade any products you'd rather have something else for. I wrote about them here last week. I'm loving their site! *Nothing in this post is sponsored, I just love them! Have a great week, check back tomorrow for a little beauty haul from my weekend ;)

{one} Valentine's date with this cutie. We went to our fave sushi place and had a wonderful dinner. This was our 8th Valentine's together, this was one of my favorites. {two} Ok, this is my last Florida mention, I promise. Yesterday I shared the photos from our trip on my Thankful Thursday {Florida Edition}. I miss this lil goober already! {three} I told my husband when we were waiting at the Tulsa airport "One day I'll run into Hanson here". Well it wasn't this time, but in Dallas I did see Leah from Teen Mom 2. I used to watch the show until recently. She was there with her whole crew. I was too busy with my smoothie to realize what was happening until they were too far past me, but it was cool to see her. {four} Girls, I've told you before and I mean it- Sign up for Ebates and use it if you don't already! If you shop online, it's a no brainer. I deposited this $62 check yesterday, this is my 3rd check. $62 is a good chunk of change to me, especially when I didn't do anything but use their site.{five} My little brother is kicking butt this last week! He is making such great progress. He's kissing, hugging, mouthed the word bye, a lot more alert and the therapists even got him on his feet for the first time in 5 1/2 months this week. I can't wait to see him this weekend and get my hug! We've posted several videos to the Facebook page this week, you've got to check them out :) Hope you enjoyed my ramblings from the week, what are your plans this weekend? Mine include grocery shopping, bootcamp, the Lush grand opening party, birthday party, oil change, hospital time and working on blog stuff. Busy weekend ahead!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Good morning, thanks for stopping by and hopefully linking up for Thankful Thursday. If you're new here, Thankful Thursday is a link up where you post the things you have been thankful for in the last week, big or small.

Make sure you head on over to my co-hosts as well and see what they are thankful for this week; Katie Elizabeth, The Strong Family and Carly Blogs Here.This week is going to be a little different, I'm devoting it to our Florida trip that we just returned from Tuesday-

Friday night at the hockey game with my brother and his family, my heart was full.

A gorgeous Florida sunset from their kitchen.

Sunday on the beach; drinking mimosas, eating brunch and playing frisbee.

Seriously, could it get any better?

Yup, there we go… :)

Such a perfect day!

Enjoying an afternoon cup of coffee on their patio. Ahhh

A quick little boat ride to see if we could catch some fish for dinner, no luck though.

Monday, uncle Dustin and I got to babysit these 2 cuties.

Well, Uncle Dustin stepped out back and did some fishing.

Lunch on the back porch in our pj's!

Followed by a trip to the park!

Our trip was quick, but it was perfect. The weather couldn't have been any better and it was exactly what we needed. We enjoyed spending time with my brother, sister in law and nieces. Can't wait to return!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Hello loves. I am excited to share a new find with you. I recently received an email about a brand new company, eDivv.com. I was immediately intrigued. Now this won't be for everyone, but for beauty junkies like myself, I think it's genius.

You all know I am subscribed to Ipsy, and have had other monthly subscriptions as well. On top of subscription boxes, I love getting samples and trying new things. If I can get free shipping, I'd rather order online from Ulta or Sephora just to get all the free samples they include in their orders. I get really excited when they throw in one of those makeup bags FULL of deluxe samples with your qualifying order... Score!

Because of the above, this girl has a couple drawers full of samples and deluxe samples that don't ever get touched. Not to mention, makeup that I bought or received that doesn't get touched either.

The concept of this site? It's a place where you can create a store and list all your products that you don't want and trade, or divvy, other users for product they don't want, for FREE. When you get your Ipsy bag or Birchbox and you didn't get exactly what you wanted, just trade! Who wouldn't want to trade things you'll never use for things you want?! Sign me up!

Like I said, I think it's genius.

After receiving the email, I immediately signed up. Then I went through my stuff and gathered about 10 things I had that I wanted to "divvy" for something else. I snapped pics and uploaded them all to my store. I immediately looked at some other girls stores and made a couple of offers.

I feel like this site is very user friendly, which I REALLY like. You can easily make an offer to trade whatever products of yours for whatever products you'd like in somebodies store. That person can accept, decline or counter offer you.

I very quickly made 5 successful divvy's. A couple of my offers were declined, I declined 1 and counter offered 1, and a couple were cancelled due to non response.

So, what do you do when you accept or have a divvy accepted? It immediately shows you the address of the person who you are doing business with and it's your responsibility to ship your product to them. I wanted to test out this process a few times before actually sharing it with you.

I've now shipped all 5 of my divvy's out. Each package cost me about $1 to $2 to ship. I quickly received my trades too.

Here are my successful divvy's-

First, I traded this sample size Benefit "That Girl" primer

and a Chella brow pencil for a 2-pack of Kiss lashes.

Then, I traded this deluxe sample Ojon Rare Blend Deep Conditioner for a travel pack of makeup wipes and a Stila all over highlight. (this girl has too many hair samples and I love travel size makeup wipes for trips)

I wasn't sure if it was only sample size products, but as you browse you will find ALL kinds of things. Sample size, deluxe size and full size, makeup, skincare, hair items, jewelry and accessories. Also, pay attention to the condition because there are a mixture of new and slightly used items.

I definitely plan to continue to use eDivv.com. It's not something I'll be doing every week, but when I get products I won't use, I'll add them to my store and make trades. I would definitely rather have products I will use.

I think the concept and site are wonderful and easy to use. Like I said, I've now made 5 successful divvy's and they have all been smooth as can be.

So you have to just trust they will send you your product? I have had nothing but pleasant experiences so far, but the website says if you never receive your product and have contacted the other person and they don't respond after 24 hours, contact the team.

You have to mail it yourself? I have no problem at all paying around $2 to ship product out because otherwise they are just sitting there. Me personally, I will probably just make divvy's that are really worth it to me. It's not particularly easy for me to make it to the post office due to business hours, so I won't just accept any divvy or tiny sample trades.

That's it for me, I am loving this website and can't wait to continue making more divvy's in the future!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Hey loves- I'm finally getting to this tag that VeroSays! tagged me in. Sorry it took me so long girl!

I've seen a few people participating in this tag and I really like it. I've been a fan of beauty blogs and YouTube beauty gurus for a while now. It really irritates me when I see people leaving rude comments on what bloggers/vloggers should or shouldn't be doing, how they do their makeup, what makeup they use, etc. The fact is, we are all different. We like different things, do things different, think different and share different things.

Which brings me to my 5 things I won't be apologizing for-

My Makeup Collecting

It's no secret I like makeup, skincare and beauty items. I always have and always will. Some people collect coins, I collect makeup. Makeup is an art to me, I love to experiment and try new products. That doesn't make me superficial. Makeup and beauty related things are my passion. Am I running out of room in my home? Am I putting my husband and I in debt. Nope. I just like makeup :)

Liking Nice Things

Kind of similar to the above. I hate when people say that someone sharing photos of their Michael Kors purse or Chanel makeup, means they're bragging. If you like nice things and can afford it, go for it! You only live once. I love buying and trying high end makeup. Department stores honestly just make really good makeup. I also love a lot of drugstore items, my collection is pretty equal really.

Taking a Long Time to Get Ready

Ok, my hubby would tell you I take hours. That isn't true... I do spend a while on my makeup because I truly love putting on makeup each day. Like I said above, it's art to me and my face is a blank canvas each and every day, it's fun for me.

Tugging On My Eyelid When Applying Liquid Liner

I know... it causes wrinkles. I wear liquid liner 1-3 times a week and when I do I always tug on my eyelid to pull it tight. It makes your line perfectly straight, no mess ups. I'm doubting those few times a week I do it are intensifying my eye wrinkles.

Always Wearing a Full Coverage Face

I am not someone that wears makeup at home. I am someone that has makeup on when I leave the house though. (except for the gym) It's just who I am.

There you have it- a few things I do in the beauty world that some people may care about, but I however do not.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Happy Monday! <--- Yes, I said happy Monday, I'm that person. I don't know about you, but I love reading the "Day in the life" posts. The first one I ever read was from Shay. I thought, why not join in and do one for myself? If you're interested in what a typical day for me looks like, keep reading....

{6 am} First alarm goes off. I've been working hard to break my "snooze 584 times" habit, so far so good. Up and at em! (Dustin leaves around 4:15am each day, he gets a dragon breath, 95% asleep kiss each day though, lucky him)

I make a cup of coffee, grab my laptop and Jesus Calling book and have some blog & Jesus time. I read my devotion for the day, have some prayer and publish/share my post for the day, all while wrapped up in my flannel sheets and drinking my coffee.

Just keeping it real. Time to start getting ready for the day.

Pixie always comes in and watches mama get ready.

{8 am} Done, voila! Head to the kitchen, pack up my food for the day and be on my way to work.

{9 am} Breakfast, an apple and vanilla Greek yogurt with granola- I know, I eat way after I get up. I want my coffee first!

{12 pm} LUNCH! Today, Chicken sausage pasta leftovers.

{3 pm} Snack time, the new Cookies & Cream Quest bars are the bomb.

{5:15 pm} Make it home, always eagerly greeted by lil miss.

Followed by kisses, she loves it, don't let her face fool you.

Mix up my pre-workout cocktail. Love me some Spark!

{5:45 pm} This boy makes it home, and we're off to the gym! I say "Hey, we need a pre gym selfie" this is what happens.

Bootcamp with this beauty!

Ruin hour long torture I just endured for Velveeta. (Not the norm, but sometimes you just need a crap meal)

{8-10 pm} Showers and getting ready for the next day. Dustin goes to bed early, so I end my Monday nights with a lit candle and my guilty pleasure, Real Housewives of whatever city is currently on. #noshame

{Around 10 pm} I crawl into bed, hubby is about an hour into snoring at this point. I catch up on social media, watch my YouTube beauty gurus and then pass out about an hour later.

Well that was fun, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into my day. It's safe to say most of my week days are pretty similar, with a few night time activity changes.

Friday, February 14, 2014

I am linking up with A. Liz Adventures and her crew today for Five on Friday. First things first, they challenged everyone to participate in spreading awareness for Menkes Syndrome and sharing the truly heart wrenching story about Teddy. My family is going through so much right now with my brother, so I can definitely relate to their pain and the unknown. God bless and be with this family. This story will capture your heart, please make sure to check it out. #TeamTeddy

{one} Our family has been continually blessed throughout this entire journey with my little brother. There are over 5,000 people following his story, and the love and support is truly overwhelming. It's so awesome when people who went through the exact same thing reach out to us. Above is Kyle and his mom DeAnna. 2 years ago Kyle was in an ATV accident, suffered a TBI and wasn't expected to live. IF he did live, he'd be in a vegetative state the rest of his life. Well guess what, Kyle walked in our room to share his story with us. Kyle is just fine :) They are the sweetest people and we can't thank them enough for spending last Saturday with our family and encouraging us. Kyle said he is 100% sure without a doubt that Christian will be just fine, they will be friends and travel sharing their testimony as Kyle currently does. Well we agree with you Kyle, yes we do!

{two} Cookie in a cup (I add PB too) + a scoop of ice cream. What can I say, we needed a sweet treat, this was perfect!

{three} Thank you all so much for all your prayers, support and kind words after Monday's post. Things are way better! Dad was released Monday and doing great, Christian is doing better and a little more alert and they will be discharged Monday. We got great news late yesterday, they are going to one rehab for 10 days then off to a wonderful facility that is pretty much in their hometown! And… this facility is offering all of his therapy pro bono! We 100% knew God would take care of everything and lead them where they needed to go, and that is exactly what is happening. The amazing things people are doing for us truly leave us speechless. Christian also gave my mom some sweet hugs yesterday, what a great day. I posted a video on the Facebook page. This is only the 2nd time she has received a hug from him since September…

{four} Cydney is seriously the sweetest. She text me and said she had a full thing of Porefessional that wasn't being used because she didn't like it and asked if I wanted it because she knows how much I like it! Heck yes! She even sent a sample for Dustin, how sweet is that? I went through my stuff and sent her a little package of goodies too, it was the least I could do. Thanks Cyd!

{five} SO EXCITED- We fly out tomorrow morning to Pensacola, FL to stay a few days with my older brother and his sweet family. This auntie is SUPER excited to see my precious nieces. I haven't seen them in a year and 2 months! I hate living so far away... We are very excited for a weekend away and to spend some time with them all!